Vermont Birder

After our recent trip to Massachusetts, I was a little tired of the “geeing and hawing” of maneuvering the Airstream out of our winding driveway, through crowded downtowns and tight construction zones, and in and out of parking sites. To say nothing of the hitching up, with the help of mosquitoes, and the setting up after arrival. I think the incessant heat and humidity were getting to me.
I got thinking, ” Wouldn’t it be nice just to have everything in one unit?” (I think every rv owner thinks about what other rigs might work better – and there are pros and cons to each option.) I have been intrigued with the Class B Airstream, in spite of its hefty $100k plus price tag new. We have no Airstream dealers close by so the other day, I paid a visit to a local rv dealer, Vermont Country Campers, to check out a few of their Class B and Class C campers.
It was a hot morning and I was reluctant to drag a sales guy out of his air-conditioned office and made it clear that I was just “tire-kicking.” The first unit I went into was this expensive Winnebago diesel which is similar to the Airstream Interstate.

I was impressed with the design and the fuel economy but saw no need for the two extra captain’s chairs taking up valuable space. The $125k price tag was … well, not in our price range. The salesman, in talking about the lack of storage, said “You wouldn’t be taking bikes and lawn chairs in this.” (Which made me think of all the gear we haul in the truck.)
I’ve seen many RoadTrek vans in our travels and their owners seem to love them – except during long stretches of rainy days where they can develop cabin fever. As soon as I entered the unit shown below, and could not even stand upright, I knew these Class B’s were not for us. Even used and affordable ones.

I looked at a couple of Class C’s, ones with the little bunk area over the truck cab, but by now was realizing that this little Saturday morning fling was over. I thanked the guy, who had been very accomodating, and drove away in the truck thinking, “that old Airstream may be our best bet.”
Who knows, we may upgrade to a newer model Airstream, buy an older one with more character, or continue to improve our present rig. Stay tuned.  (photos courtesy of Vermont Country Campers)

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Most of us, when we stop to think about it, have encountered things while birding that we likely would not have seen otherwise.  Birders on the VTBird listserve recently had a short exchange on this subject which was very interesting.  Roy Pilcher started it (I believe) by writing:

Most of us who spend  a reasonable amount of time birding have from time to time welcomed a non-birding experience.  Today was such a day!

In a field a doe.

Not any doe but a doe with a fawn.

Not any doe with a fawn but a doe with a suckling fawn!

Very nice!

Later, Alison Wagner, another outstanding birder, wrote:

When kids ask me, “Why do you like birds so much?”  I usually respond, “because they are easy to see.  If I go birding, I’ll be sure to see a bird. If I go bobcatting, chances are I won’t see one.  IF I go birding and SEE a bobcat, that’s a bonus! ”

Kids do this all the time, starting out on a bird walk and seeing so many other forms of nature.  Yesterday, with The Hinesburders, we found a muskrat.

It got me thinking about what non-birding things I have seen and I sort of was drawing a blank — until yesterday.  Penny, our Vizsla, and I were out in our woods walking quietly, listening to bird songs, when I noticed some movement up ahead and saw a Coyote, or CoyDog, quietly moving through the ferns and underbrush, nose to the ground.  It was close and I got my camera on it but the trees and ferns kept blocking it.  It never saw or smelled us but it was moving closer, and Penny was behind me and doing her own thing.  So I yelled, and it wheeled and ran with my red dog chasing right behind it.  I yelled and yelled at the dog and fortunately, she gave up after just a few hundred yards and came running back, all cranked up and ready to rumble.  We retreated back toward the house and all is well.  It was probably the kind of bonus that I don’t need with a dog along, but even then, a thrill.

You’ll have to take my word that this is a wild coyote or coy dog – it was hard to tell. I was surprised that it got so close to us before I spooked it intentionally.

On a less exciting vein, I thought about some birding walks we took at Ricker Pond State Park earlier this week and thought of the Pink Lady’s Slipper that I found along a trail.  It was definitely a birding bonus.

What are your bonus birding stories?  Send me a few paragraphs at vtbirder at gmail.com.  I’d love to publish a few collections of experiences that others have had.  What is the most interesting thing you have seen while birding that you likely would not have seen otherwise?

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After the exciting arrival I detailed previously, we had a couple of easy-going days at quiet Ricker Pond State Park.  The kids are still in school and this park, because it is mainly lean-to and tent sites, tends to draw a quieter crowd.  The shakedown went well except that the hot water heater quit the last day after running fine.  Better to find out here than in West Texas.  Here are some shots that I took during our stay:

Patches of Bunchberry were all along the roadways.

There are about a dozen private camps on the pond — most of them quite old and modest.  They do have electricity and satellite TV.  Many can only be reached by boat or winding footpath.

The large rock blocked off a road from vehicles.  It was not cut — it is naturally like this.

A Pink Lady’s Slipper tucked in along the trail.

The state campground is tucked into the trees along the western edge of the pond.  Here are a few lean-tos with one, with the red canopy, in use.

Ricker Pond (95 acres) is located in the central portion of Groton State Forest along VT Route 232 just south of Lake Groton.